As with legends and myths, theres always at least some fact behind adages, maxims, old saws and truisms. I proved it this week, twice. Truism #1 Stuff multiplies to…
As with legends and myths, theres always at least some fact behind adages, maxims, old saws and truisms. I proved it this week, twice.
Truism #1 Stuff multiplies to fill the available space allotted for its storage.
My new shop cabinets have at least three times the storage capacity of what I had before. Plus much of the new construction I did is drawers, which offer more storage per square inch than cabinets. With the project done, Ive filled the new cabinets and drawers to capacity and I still have stuff I need to put away.
Where was all this stuff before? I have no idea, but with three times as much stuff stuffed into my new cabinets Im left with approximately the same amount of stuff needing to be put away as I did before I made the cabinets. How is that possible? Easy, the truism is indeed true. The stuff has simply reproduced spontaneously.
Truism #2 You cant have enough clamps.
And youre thinking, who needs to prove that one, right? Well, no one. Weve known it all along. But in a shop filled with all manner of clamps including some infrequently used ones like band clamps, corner clamps, pinch dogs and even a small book press (yep, that counts) I had to go out and buy a couple more last week.
Remember all that work I did with my self-destructing water heater and the attendant flooring job it required to repair all the damage? Well, in the process of pulling and nudging the water softener out of the way so I could install the flooring, I inadvertently caused yet another leak in that room. Took forever to find the source of the water, which turned out to be a loosened hose. The incredibly easy fix for something that would have cost $150 if youd called a plumber was a 79-cent hose clamp, which I simply didnt own.
The very best part of the story is that once I explained to Sally what the problem was and how I could fix the leak without calling a plumber, I heard the words that few woodworkers ever get to hear from their spouses: I guess youd better go out and buy a clamp.
Till next time,
A.J.
A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop News and Woodcraft Magazine. He's currently a freelance woodworking writer/editor, which is another way of stating self-employed. When he's not writing or in the shop, he enjoys science fiction, gourmet cooking and Civil War reenacting, but not at the same time.